5 Blake Bortles QB

Bortles finalized a one-year, $1 million contract with the Rams on Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The Rams get a nice bargain with their backup quarterback, as any money Bortles receives on the new contract simply reduces the $6.5 million he's guaranteed from the Jaguars. He should be a big upgrade on the Rams' backup from the past two season (Sean Mannion) and isn't likely to face any serious competition for the No. 2 job this summer. Given the wealth of talent in the Los Angeles offense, Bortles could warrant fantasy consideration if starter Jared Goff misses time with an injury during the 2019 campaign.

The Rams and Bortles are close to an agreement on a one-year contract, Jeff Darlington of ESPN reports.

With legitimate starting quarterback gigs few and far between throughout the league, Bortles will land one of the top available backup jobs. Working with coach Sean McVay and behind Jared Goff could do wonders for the five-year pro, who owns a 103:75 TD:INT in 75 career appearances.

Bortles is set to visit with the Rams on Monday, Michael Silver of Sports Illustrated reports.

This likely begins the transition for Bortles from a starter to a backup role since Jared Goff will continue to lead to Rams for the foreseeable future. Although Bortles struggled as a starter with Jacksonville, he'd be a quality backup, as he completed 60 percent of his passes for 2,718 yards, 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 2018.

The Jaguars released Bortles on Wednesday, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

After the Eagles opted not to retain Nick Foles via the franchise tag, he was quickly linked to the Jaguars, who ultimately agreed with him on a four-year, $88 million contract in the opening hours of the legal tampering period Monday. With Foles officially in the fold, Bortles is the clear casualty, despite having $6.5 million guaranteed on his own contract. Bortles may have to settle for a backup job with his next organization, but no matter if he holds a clipboard or takes the field, his days of relevance may be few and far between in the future.

The Jaguars are expected to release Bortles despite owing him $6.5 million in guaranteed 2019 base salary, ESPN.com's Dan Graziano reports.

Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell recently said Bortles is "still in the mix" at quarterback, but the 26-year-old likely will be cut once the team is confident in finding a replacement (read: Nick Foles). Jacksonville can free up $9.5 million in cap space if Bortles is designated as a post-June 1 release, spreading out the dead cap hit ($16.5 million) between 2019 and 2020. When all is said and done, the team likely will have paid him $26.5 million to play one season beyond his rookie contract -- an extra $6.5 million compared to if they'd simply let him play out his fifth-year option instead of offering an extension. Assuming the Jaguars find their replacement, Bortles may have to settle for high-end backup money on the open market this spring.

General manager Dave Caldwell said Bortles is still in the mix at quarterback for the Jaguars, Zack Rosenblatt of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

The Jaguars surely regret signing Bortles to a three-year, $54 million contract last offseason, especially given that the deal guarantees nearly half of his $14 million base salary for 2019, per overthecap.com. The team can still free up $9.5 million in cap space if the 27-year-old quarterback is designated as a post-June 1 release, so the structure of the contract won't necessarily keep him on the roster for 2019. Even if Bortles sticks around, the Jaguars figure to invest significant resources -- be it money or an early draft pick -- in the search for an upgrade at quarterback.

Bortles completed 15 of 28 passes for 107 yards and an interception and added 15 yards on seven carries during Sunday's 20-3 loss to Houston.

If this was Bortles' last start for Jacksonville, he certainly made it easy for fans to let him go. The fifth-year passer meandered for most of the game before launching an ugly desperation pick into the end zone in the game's closing minutes with the Jaguars down by three scores. Bortles hasn't topped 130 passing yards in a game since Week 10 and has spent about half of that time benched. He might not get the opportunity to throw a pass for the Jaguars again.

Bortles will start Sunday's game against the Texans.

Bortles, who was benched in favor Cody Kessler in advance of the Week 13 game against the Colts, will thus be tasked with leading the 5-10 Jaguars offense in the season finale. It's an assignment that doesn't carry a ton of bankable fantasy upside, but Bortles' mobility was a key factor in the call, per coach Doug Marrone. Though the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft will conclude the campaign as the Jaguars' starting signal-caller, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com relays that Bortles will probably be released this coming offseason. Kessler seems unlikely to open the upcoming campaign atop the depth chart either, with Jacksonville instead expected to hand the top gig to a quarterback who isn't currently on the roster.

Multiple Jaguars players suggested Wednesday that Bortles would serve as the team's starting quarterback this weekend in the season finale against the Texans, Mark Long of the Associated Press reports.

Coach Doug Marrone will likely address the team's quarterback situation later Wednesday, but Bortles might have earned himself another look in the No. 1 role after shining in relief of Cody Kessler in the Week 16 upset win over the Dolphins. While Kessler tended to a shoulder issue that resulted in his removal on two occasions in Sunday's contest, Bortles stepped in to complete five of his six throws for 39 yards while adding another 25 yards on four carries. If Bortles does in fact earn the Week 17 start, the Jaguars would likely still favor a run-heavy game plan that would limit the signal-caller's overall fantasy upside. Even with a strong showing to wrap up the campaign, Bortles seems unlikely to enter 2019 as the Jaguars' top option behind center, with the organization instead expected to explore external options via trade, free agency or the draft this offseason.

Bortles completed five of six passes for 39 yards during Sunday's 17-7 win over the Dolphins. He also rushed four times for 25 yards.

Bortles took his first snaps under center since losing his starting job Nov. 26. Interim quarterback Cody Kessler briefly left the field due to a shoulder injury during the second quarter, and he was ultimately replaced for good by Bortles due to sloppy play early in the second half. Bortles did just enough to earn a victory over Miami, avoiding any egregious mistakes and continuing to move the chains. The former 2014 first-round pick's future in Jacksonville remains uncertain, but it's possible that Bortles has earned the right to start Week 17.

Coach Doug Marrone announced Monday that Bortles will serve as the backup to Cody Kessler for the Jaguars' Week 13 game against the Colts, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

The wheels are coming off in Jacksonville -- losers of seven straight -- and changes will come at both quarterback and offensive coordinator, as the team fired Nathaniel Hackett on Monday. Bortles completed just 12 of 23 passes for 127 yards with one touchdown and two picks in Sunday's 24-21 loss to the Bills and threw for only 104 yards the week prior. A first-round pick of the Jaguars who re-signed with the team on a three-year deal in February, Bortles' future with the only organization he's known is now in major question. Jacksonville will see if Kessler can provide a spark down the stretch and allow the team to end the season on a high note.

Bortles completed 12 of 23 passes for 127 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions during Sunday's 24-21 loss to Buffalo. He added 39 yards on six carries.

Bortles slung a 13-yard dart to Dede Westbrook for his first passing touchdown in two weeks in the closing moments of the fourth quarter. However, it was literally too little too late, as the Bills recovered the ensuing kick and the game was over. Bortles continues to look like the weak link in Jacksonville, as he has failed to reach 150 yards passing in four of his last six games, tossing just five touchdowns during that span. True, Bortles can get it done with his legs, but he's scored just one rushing touchdown -- back in Week 5 -- all season. He's faced some stingy defenses in recent weeks, but he'll get a middle-of-the-road test against Indianapolis next Sunday if he remains in the starting lineup.

Bortles will get the start Week 12 in Buffalo, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com reports.

Bortles had one of his worst games in an ugly season Sunday against the Steelers, taking six sacks and losing a fumble while completing just 10 of 18 passes for 104 yards. The complete lack of a passing game allowed Pittsburgh to erase a 16-point deficit and eventually pull out a 20-16 victory in the closing seconds. Bortles clearly is on the hot seat heading into a Week 12 matchup with a Buffalo defense ranked second in yards allowed per pass attempt (6.5) and first in passing yards allowed per game (202). The Jags presumably will try to win with a heavy dose of Leonard Fournette, but they could turn to Cody Kessler under center if it doesn't work out.

Bortles completed 10 of 18 passes for 104 yards while rushing twice for 17 yards and losing one of two fumbles in Sunday's 20-16 loss to the Steelers.

Bortles wasn't asked to do much, as Jacksonville built up a 16-0 lead on the back of three field goals and a Leonard Fournette rushing score. While Pittsburgh's offense came alive late, the Jaguars' offensive unit stalled, leading to a 20-0 Steelers run in the final 17 minutes. Bortles has been held to 155 or fewer passing yards four times this season while also exceeding 375 on three other occasions, so he'll have a low floor and high ceiling against the Bills in Week 12.

Bortles completed 26 of 38 pass attempts for 320 yards and two touchdowns during Sunday's 29-26 loss to the Colts.

Bortles enjoyed one of his most effective outings of the season, as he averaged a healthy 8.4 yards per attempt while connecting with eight different receivers. He completed touchdown passes to Donte Moncrief and Lenoard Fournette, giving him his first multi-touchdown effort since Week 4. Bortles also refrained from turning the ball over and has now gone three games without an interception. He clearly seemed to benefit from Fournette's return to the lineup and will look to put on a similar performance next Sunday against the Steelers.

Bortles (shoulder) was a full participant at Wednesday's practice.

The full session was expected after Bortles didn't have any limitations Monday coming out of the Jaguars' bye week. An injury to Bortles' non-throwing shoulder is far less of a concern than the possibility of a benching at some point during the second half of the season. Bortles will benefit from a favorable Week 10 matchup, heading to Indianapolis for a dome game against a team that has allowed opponents to complete 72.4 percent of passes for 7.7 yards per attempt this season. However, the Colts defense has done strong work when backed up against the goal line, ranking seventh in red-zone touchdown rate (50 percent).

Bortles (shoulder) went through every drill during the open portion of Monday's practice, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com reports.

Bortles injured his non-throwing shoulder prior to a Week 9 bye, likely giving him enough time to recover for Sunday's game at Indianapolis. The bigger concern is the possibility he could lose his starting job if he doesn't improve his play during the second half of the season. Bortles did have a solid outing during a Week 8 loss to the Eagles in London, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Jaguars from dropping to 3-5 with a fourth straight loss.

Bortles suffered an injury to his left shoulder in Sunday's 24-18 loss to the Eagles in London, but the quarterback is expected to be available for the Jaguars' next game Nov. 11 against the Colts, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports.

Fortunately for Bortles, the injury is to his non-throwing shoulder and he'll benefit from the Jaguars being on bye in Week 9. The shoulder issue didn't seem to affect him much in Week 8, as he didn't turn over the ball for just the second time in eight starts while finishing with 286 passing yards and a touchdown on 41 attempts. The Jaguars added a third quarterback to the roster Wednesday in veteran Landry Jones, but he's merely on hand to serve as an insurance option in the event Bortles' condition takes an unexpected turn for the worse coming out of the bye week.

Bortles completed 24 of 41 passes for 286 yards and a touchdown while adding 43 yards on eight carries in Sunday's 24-18 loss to the Eagles in London.

Bortles managed a turnover-free performance after getting benched last week, but his 7.0 yards per attempt were nothing to write home about and he failed to lead his team into the end zone outside of an 11-yard touchdown pass to Dede Westbrook. While 18 points is an acceptable output, that total was bolstered by a pair of Josh Lambo field goals from 50-plus yards. Bortles brings a 10:8 touchdown to interception ratio into Jacksonville's Week 9 bye.

Bortles will retain the starting job for a Week 8 game against the Eagles in London, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com reports.

Bortles was benched at halftime of Sunday's 20-7 loss to Houston, with Cody Kessler handling the final two quarters and producing just 5.2 yards per pass attempt. Faced with a pair of uninspired options, coach Doug Marrone seemed to drop a hint that a change was coming, but he ultimately decided to stick with his long-time starter. The situation could come under review again during the Jaguars' bye week if Bortles struggles in London.